Scattered Thoughts on Grace and Weakness

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” – 2Cor. 12:9

The more we realize our weakness, the more we understand God’s grace. Having our weakness revealed to us is therefore an act of mercy. Allowing us to continue in the façade of our own strength would not be mercy because we’d be relying on our own power rather than God’s. Being humbled only makes you stronger.

Encouragement to Pray

See part 1— How to Pray Like Jesus

After Jesus prayed the Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11:1-4) as a model for how we should pray, he followed that up with several parables that offer further encouragement for us to pray.

Luke 11:5-8 — The Persistent Friend at Midnight

And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs.

Note that this friend is knocking on the door at midnight. Sometimes we can feel as though we are bothering God with our prayers and requests, but here we see that it is never too late! Its not as though God could be roused from sleep like the friend in the story— God never sleeps and is always looking after us (see Psalm 121).

How to Pray Like Jesus

Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” And he said to them, “When you pray, say:
“Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread,
and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation.”

In this well-known passage, Jesus is modeling how to pray.

Where is Your Treasure?

I read through Ecclesiastes last week. It’s still blowing me up. And it’s giving me a lot of angst, but in a good way.

“Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.”

Set that next to Mark 8:34-38: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?”

As I was meditating on the theme of Ecclesiastes alongside the passage in Mark, these thoughts/convictions/concerns exploded into my mind: